Saudi Arabia condemned on Friday the storming of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by an Israeli official and members of the Knesset.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry tweeted the Kingdom’s “categorical rejection of such violations and provocations.”
It stressed its solidarity with the Palestinian people and all efforts aimed at reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Thousands of Jewish nationalists, some of them chanting racist slogans, paraded on Thursday through the main Palestinian thoroughfare of Jerusalem’s Old City, in an annual display that caused new friction between Jews and Palestinians in the tense city.
The marchers, who were overwhelmingly male Orthodox teens and young men, were celebrating “Jerusalem Day,” which marks Israel’s capture of the Old City 56 years ago. The Palestinians see the event as a provocation. Two years ago, the parade helped fuel an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip.
The boisterous crowds danced and chanted Jewish religious songs outside Damascus Gate as scores of Israeli police stood guard. In several cases, groups chanted slogans such as “Death to Arabs” and “May Your Village Burn" as they stared at Palestinian onlookers.
Israeli police, who had said that violence and incitement would not be tolerated, kept the sides apart but did little to stop the chants. Palestinian businesses were either shuttered or empty, and marchers occasionally threw water bottles at nearby journalists, eliciting cheers from the crowd. Police said two people were arrested for throwing objects.
Several lawmakers in Israel's new far-right governing coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, joined the procession. Under heavy police guard, Ben-Gvir waved to the crowd as he made his way into Damascus Gate and then high-fived security forces inside.
